Insecticide composition



Patented June 25, 1935 A y 2,005,191 PATENT OFFICE INSECTICIDE COMPOSITION William Moore, Clmppaqua, N. Y., assignor to American Oyanamld Company, New York,

, N. Y., a corporation of Maine No Drawing. Application August 15, 1931, Serial 3 Claims.

This invention relates to insecticidal and fumigant compositions and is concerned more particularly with a solution in volatile organic solvents of a specific class of organic compounds.

I have discovered that valuable insecticidal properties are exhibited by the group of organic chemical compounds having most probably the following structural formula:

in which R represents an aryl group having the formula CnH2n-'l. This group of chemical compounds includes a large number of substances of which the following are typical: Diphenyl Diphenyl methane Dibenzyl (diphenyl ethane) Diphenyl methyl ethane Symmetrical or unsyetrical diphenyl dimethyl ethane Diphenyl propane, etc.

With the exception oi diphenyl, these compounds which I have found suitable as insecticides may be represented by the following formula:

in which X and X represent hydrogen or various alkyl groups, and n represents any whole number. 1 Typical insecticidal compositions are as folows:

Example 1 Parts by weight Diphenyl 1c Solvent naphtha Example 2 Parts by weight Dibenzyl 10 Solvent naphtha 90 Example 3 Parts by weight Diphenyl methane 10 Solvent naphtha 90 The compositions containing my insecticides are efllcient for moths in their various forms, roaches, water bugs, ants and the like. My insecticides are particularly valuable since they have the property of penetrating to a marked degre Thus, in one test, I put a number of moth larvae in cages and sewed the cages inside 10" x 10" mohair pillows stuifed with horse and pig hair. The pillows were then sprayed with the solutions described, and after one week the pillows were opened and the moth larvae examined. In every case, it was found that a kill of over 90% was obtained, and in most cases the kill was In a series of check tests, without the insecticides, the kill ranged from 0 to about 15%.

The insecticides of my invention are definite moth-proofing agents but because of their volatility, the moth-proofing efifect is of a more or less temporary nature. However, by mixing with my compositions moth-proofing agents of a more permanent nature such as, for instance, the cinchona alkaloids, a more permanent effect is obtained. Mixtures of this kind are especially valuable since the usual moth-proofing agents merely serve to protect the surface material and, as in the case with overstufied furniture, infested with moths, the usual moth-proofing agent will protect the surface but the moths which are inside of the furniture not ordinarily be killed and will continue to breed and attack such materials as may be available. By the. use of my insecticidal compositions, however, the moths and their larvae, both inside as well as outside the furniture, will be killed, and any additional moth-proofing agent will act to keep the furniture moth-free.

It will be apparent that my invention is susceptible of many changes andvariations in the details set forth, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The proportions may be varied as desired, and in some cases, mixtures of the insecticides may be used. While it is not absolutely necessary, I prefer to utilize my insecticides in solution in the various known organic solvents and solvent mixtures since this gives exceptional ease of application and assists in penetration of the insecticide. 'Suitable other changes may be made as desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An insecticidal composition comprising a solution in an organic solvent of a compound having the following structural formula:

lution in an organic solvent of diphenyl ethane.

3. An insecticidal composition comprising a solution in an organic solvent of diphenyl methane. 55 

